Also called: Scientific Software Developer
Writes and maintains the software that scientists use to run experiments and analyze data.
You turn a biologist's messy script into fast, reliable software used by labs around the world, and help a physics team process telescope data.
Estimate; universities pay less than industry.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's in CS or a science; many have a master's or PhD.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Physics, Biology.
Growing faster than average. Growing recognition of the role.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes much research code, but understanding the science and making software reliable stays human.
Classes: AP Computer Science A, AP Biology or AP Physics, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1252.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.